Hotel Bars

Following its much acclaimed debut in Chiang Mai in northern Thailand 137 Pillars Hotels & Resorts have brought their bespoke Thai contemporary boutique concept also to Bangkok, in the form of 137 Pillars Suites & Residences Bangkok. Its high-rise building is situated in a quiet corner at the end of a side road to Bangkok’s ever-busy Sukhumvit road, and yet in close proximity of Bangkok’s lifestyle attractions and business centres. The area is where a lot of Bangkok’s Japanese expats reside so they are also part of the residential mix at 137 pillars.

Aside its bright and contemporary luxurious serviced apartments – as indicated by its name – this five-star hotel offers suites. And suites only; 34 of them. These suites very much give this splendid hotel its ‘boutique’ feeling and exclusiveness, and where there is much to relish and boast about. And it has raised the bar considerably for the upmarket hotel segment in Bangkok and consequently built its following, also as F&B destination among the locals (enjoying everything from micro brewery tap beer or fresh bakery with coffee at its Bangkok Trading Post Bistro & Deli to ‘Wine Down’ free flow wine at the outlet of one’s choice).

The suite guests enjoy butler service, and exclusive access to the hotel’s garden (huge bonsai trees) rooftop with its 360-degree infinity pool, skybar and cabanas. They are also privileged with a lounge; ‘Leonowens Club’ on level 26, with complimentary coffee and tea service, and canapés and sunset drinks served 5 pm – 7 pm. They also get to enjoy the a-la-carte afternoon tea benefit during 2pm – 5 pm.

Then there is the ‘Pool Bar’ with its cantilever plateau, including a round glass whole in its floor where one can look down (provided not afraid of heights) and also an infinity-edged pool and large Jacuzzi. There is also a golf driving range and simulation studio; fitness centre with state-of-the-art cardiovascular equipment and personal trainers; Nitra Spa & Wellness; and additional pampering service even from a hair salon.

137 Pillars is really perfect for the style-conscious guest clientele, who can choose to arrive in the hotel’s limousine, or via the in-house blue ‘Louie the London Cab’, which transports residents and guests in style to and from the nearby Emquartier by the Phrom Pong BTS station. Emquartier, combined with adjacent Emporium, belongs to Bangkok’s now leading fashion malls and restaurant clusters, where the hotel’s Louie has VIP access to its drive up entrance.

It is a very short ride, but that can take quite a while in this traffic-intence neighbourhood, but it’s a comfortable ride in this attention-grabbing vehicle!

137 Pillars comes with its own romantic garden, where markets are sometimes held and where there is outdoor seating for Bangkok Trading Post Bistro & Deli – a very nice escape indeed among the urban intensity.

When entering the hotel this deli is just on the left, while the high-ceilinged living room style lobby is to the right. The interior includes elegant furniture in bright marine blue and brown wood, including the wall panels, and marble chocolate-brown, veined flooring.

Its check-in counter is covered with gold leaves, and decorated with a beige lampshade with a foot shaped as an elephant at each end of the counter. Behind the counter five huge tropical timer slabs are also mounted on the wall.

With personalization and the intimacy of a boutique hotel 137 Pillars Suites & Residences Bangkok offers every guest VIP service, so the check-in takes place inside the suite. Your dedicated butler escorts to one of the upper floors; their corridors furnished with creamy white and blue patterned thick carpets. Overall, the hotel has a palette of dark woods, dots of blue and red colour, and bright marble – with a nice coherence of the appearance and colour scheme throughout.

The generous suites range from 70 – 127 sqm, featuring in-room private wine cellars and Maxi bar (with spirits), en-suite marble bathrooms with circular free-standing 137 Pillars bathtubs, built-in TV and state of the art Bose sound system, and also spacious balconies furnished with 137 Pillars’ signature rocking chairs and daybeds!

There are 12 Sukhothai Suites – 70 sqm; 18 Ayutthaya Suites – 95 sqm, 2 Thonburi Suites – 116 sqm, an 2 Rattanakosin Suites – 127 sqm, and with two bedrooms.

Entering the suite there is a small circled foyer with an illuminated bright ceiling screen and warm light around its border. Continue into the living room, with its characteristic white-grey Zig Zag carpet, there is a semi-circled sofa corner with a large horse painting that, noteworthy, is curved – attached to the greyish wallpaper.! The stepped ceiling (also there) comes with built-in light and an oversized beige lamp is hung from the ceiling over a shiny black-veined marble table.

The modern aesthetic of the bespoke interior comes with some flavours of Thai culture through some décor such as those table elephant lamps, framed b/w photographs with old buildings and streets from Thailand, and books about Thai art and one about King Rama 9. Overall, the beautifully appointed residential style suites have a masculine feel.

The living room includes a wine red high-back armchair and a beige corner sofa, two round black marble tables and one upholstered, tropical wood armchair with a bespoke textile pattern. Another suite type has a three-seater sofa placed in the middle of the room facing a wall-mounted large flat screen TV.

The welcome set included a fruit basket including pear, grapes etc., a lovely box containing coconut biscuits, jars with tropical dried fruit and a butterfly pea drink. There is also a selection of 137 Pillars’ very own artisanal loose-leaf teas to choose from.

Suite guests also get a smart phone which includes a concierge app with local tips about art galleries, dining and shopping suggestions, a ‘what’s on’ calendar and transportation service.

Glancing over towards the bedroom it has a black leather headboard with diagonal lines and in-between the two rooms there is a suit hanger right outside a large walk-in wardrobe with vanity. By the bed is a beige high-back armchair and the indulgent bedding itself is of the ‘Posturepedic Ultra Plush’ comfy model, coming with 400 thread count Egyptian cotton linen.

Above the bed hangs a modern painting with floral motif. Painting as art form is in fact a frequent component of this hotel, also in the form of guest painting exhibitions. Two upholstered beige chairs and a round black marble-golden metal coffee table are placed near the window.

A Digital display with buttons anables to turn on/off ‘Do Not Disturb’ and switch the atmosphere to the mood of your liking: ‘Night Light’, ‘General Scene’, ‘Reading Scene’ and ‘Dimming’.

The en-suite bathroom, as mentioned (and including its sink) is covered with a white marble with grey veins, and the toilet has automatic built-in flush, cleaning and showering (with a sensor system activating cleaning). A flour-to-ceiling glass window with a wooden blind separates the glass-enclosed rain shower from the bedroom. The toiletries come from the bespoke Thai aromatherapy brand Panpuri: Thai Jasmine & Mint, and a Cream Wash Bar.

The suite’s various menus are hidden inside dark brown wooden folders: introducing for instance ‘Dining By Design’ – with the offer to have your romantic dining set in infinite style at your chosen venue which can be beside the pool, in the herb garden under the stars or in the privacy of your own suite. Your private butler will be on hand for the arrangement for this four-course romantic set dinner.

The in-room Maxi Bar includes beverages, with a wine list, presentng a bottle of Piper-Heidsieck Champagne or Marbera del Monterrato rew wine to uncork. There is also a ‘Late Night Menu’ between 22.30 – 04.30 hours, which includes: Onion soup, Kiew nahm Goong (prawn wonton soup with organics bok choy), Garden vegetable salad and Spaghetti AOP (aglio, olive e pepperoncino with crispy bacon). Breakfast can also be had in the suite, and there is of course an All Day Menu.

Breakfast is otherwise enjoyed in the majestic Nimitr Restaurant on Level 27. Its entrance is through an enormous piece of carved wooden door based on very old timber with metal fittings brought down from a house in Northern Thailand. The interior that reveals itself is quite amazing with the floor-to-ceiling windows stretching very high up, and with custom designed ceiling metal rod lamps, lantern-like lamps hanging in chains, and drapery. The table set is discerning, where the plates, water glasses and table cloths are all in a blue hue, as is also a mosaic wall. Bespoke latticework screens cover the windows. There are high designer stools and tables – wooden with tinted glass tops or made of black and white veined marble.

The a-la-carte breakfast includes a harvest table, assorted cheese, tropical fruit juices, bircher muesli, dried fruit, freshly baked bread and pastries such as cinnamon rolls, cashew nut caramel, blueberry muffins, paired with home-made jams – such as blueberry.

On a related note, during your stay, do also make room in your schedule for the aforementioned afternoon tea session, with a range of organic teas to choose from: Orange Blossoms, Purple Butterfly, Black Rose, Spice Flora, Ding Ding Oolong tea, or Supreme Black Tea.

Later afternoon is the perfect time for suite guests to head up to the exclusive rooftop spot, which affords arresting views over the Bangkok skyline. It is furnished with some curtain-draped cabanas, where one can also enjoy cocktails, fresh juices, light refreshments and culinary delights from the Sky Bar menu. Observe unobstructed views of the ever-growing city in all directions, and relish in the infinity pool’s blue water. (By night, the subtle lighting of the grey marble pool enhances the mood even further.)

5 – 7 pm it is also time for Sunset Drinks Leonowens Club, stylishly furnished with shiny marble tables, grey chairs, and with brown floor panel and dark chocolate-veined marble as part of the interior. Choose from Sparkling & Wine such as Villa Conchi Cava, Catalonia; Hugo Casanova Antano Chardonnay, Chile; or Hugo Casanova Antano Carmenere, Cabernet Sauvignon. Also there are beers; whiskey and spirits; and standard cocktails such as Cosmopolitan, Appletini, Mojito Long Island, Negroni etc.

137 Pillars Suites & Residences Bangkok also presents a few more bars and restaurants open to the public.

Jack Bain’s Bar, which boasts an amazing chandelier resembling an oversized water lily but entirely in bronze metal, brings us back to the British teak-trading days in old Siam. A colonial gentleman named Jack Bain lived in a teak homestead, the 137 Pillars House in Chiang Mai, that today is the legend of The Borneo Trading Company, which dates back to the late 1800s.

It’s an exclusive interior indeed with round golden tables, leather high-back armchairs and brown wood wall panels with pictures in brass frames. On a floor carpet rests a hand-carved statue of a companion dog. At the bar there are designer bar stools made of golden metal.

Following the same theme about the teak trade of yesteryear, the Bangkok Trading Post Bistro & Deli on the ground floor has a truly unique design with a touch of ‘vintage cool’. One wall is for instance decorated with window shutters and antique binoculars, placed on ledges. Also here the materials are dominated by marble and brown wood, with built-in leather seating, dark-green upholstered chairs, silver metal and timer tables etc.

The beer taps at the marble/timber bar is connected via an antique-style thick brass tube leading up towards the ceiling, and then over to the beer tanks on a ledge above the kitchen. Micro brewery beer on tap includes: Brothers Toffee Apple, Maisels Weisse, and Peak A Brew.

This Bistro & Deli is focused on serving high quality Western and Asian Eclectic Comfort Cuisine; serving “artisanal breads, jams, coffee, eggs, rice, grains, along with cakes, pastries and pizzas as well as a selection of delicacies from Thailand and its local regions”. Here one can enjoy fresh brew and newly baked pastries from sunrise to late supper.

For this review ‘Wine Down’ (one of the hotel’s many splendid promotions) was enjoyed in two of the eateries on offer for Free Flow wine, handpicked daily by the sommelier and served during two hours from the starting time of one’s choice. Served here, at the deli, and then also at Level 27’s open air Pool Bar, where the marble-clad setting includes neon glass and marble pillars; dark wooden and sandy daybeds and upholstered high-back chairs. To be served sparkling wine here is to truly “wine down”… a truly sublime setting to end to any action-packed day at (and also an ideal setting for a post-dinner drink after enjoying the ‘Oriental Cuisine’ at Nimitr).

Text and photos: Joakim Persson